A patented design uses the latest developments in materials engineering

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The adjustable, space making pocket door system

The Portman proposal is unique.

A patented design uses the latest development in materials engineering in a combination that maximises wall and cassette stability, provides for easy flexible installation and unrivalled aesthetic detailing.

Quality robust components, an exceptionally easy installation and years of maintenance free service.

Pocket Doors
In the UK there is an increasingly stark requirement for high quality housing, however, as population densities increase and average property sizes decrease, the need to develop innovative ways of utilising the finite space available is facilitating the development of new products and solutions.
The Portman pocket door system is ideal where design flexibility and space saving are of prime importance. Being able to slide a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom door within a wall and out of the way saves about 6% of the overall floor area or 10 sq ft per door. Designed and produced in the UK, the Portman pocket door system comprises the latest sliding door technology, quality robust components and an exceptionally easy installation.
With Portman, specifying pocket door options is easy. Any standard timber door blank or frameless glass panel can be used and there is no bottom rail mounted into the floor creating a dust trap or trip hazard. Door leaves are
held in place to prevent wobble or sway. High quality rollers and bearing surfaces will provide years of maintenance free service and consistent high performance.
Typical Portman pocket door installations
• A single door leaf (e.g. a kitchens or bathrooms)
• Two doors converging/bi-parting (e.g. as lounge/dining room dividers). These can also be opened/closed simultaneously.
• Large leaves can be used as screens to separate bedroom & living areas and facilitate flexible/open plan schemes whilst allowing users to maintain privacy when needed.
Reducing Barriers
For most people, opening a manual door is a combination of gripping and depressing a lever handle, pulling/pushing whilst ‘side stepping’ the arc of the door and then moving forwards or backwards with the door. To carry out this exercise is much harder if the user has, for example, poor grip, reduced muscle power and balance. Getting close enough to, or reaching for, the handle can be difficult. Harder again, if one has to move ones body or mobility aid out of the path of the door as one is trying to open it, and indeed hold it open whilst trying to pass through. This is compounded, yet again if the hands are needed to hold a cane or crutches, move a wheelchair or frame. Other factors increasing the degree of difficulty include door closers, small lobbies, narrow corridors and small clear opening widths.
Little wonder that, to many people – a door is a significant barrier.
The Portman Pocket Door System reduces some of the typical swing door barriers presented to disabled people, thereby making buildings and dwellings more independently accessible or ‘inclusive’. These benefits are evident in several areas:
Clear opening widths
Portman door width options give access to the full range of wheelchair users as defined by the BS 8300. The ‘wide’ option is especially good for 90° turns for larger wheelchairs, assistant pushed and battery power chairs - important because a minimum statutory corridor width is 1200mm in buildings (900mm in dwellings) and a wheelchair/scooter can be 1520mm to 1600mm long. The ‘standard’ 626–926 width option can also be useful for ambulant disabled people with limited reach due to the comparatively small movement required to operate the door.
Sliding leaf
When opening/closing the door leaf slides into a pocket. It does not swing into the space adjacent to the door face, thereby allowing:
The user to remain stationary whilst opening the door, avoiding having to move him/herself and his/her mobility aid beyond the leading edge of a swinging door leaf.
Providing an alternative solution to the AD ‘M’ requirement for WC compartment doors, (and doors to wheelchair-accessible sanitary provision), to open outwards in an emergency. If a user collapses behind the door, it can simply be slid open.
Avoiding door projection into adjacent corridor circulation or escape routes.
User Operation
For manual opening/closing of the door Portman recommend leaving a portion of the door leaf proud of the pocket (in the fully open position) and the use of projecting handles. This arrangement has the dual benefits of the easily opened pocket door and easily operated door furniture, for e.g. those with dexterity problems. For guidance on laying out for this type of door-set please contact the sales office.
Portman's pocket door systems have been designed to provide an unrivalled size and design flexibility to make the most of the space available and create a unique visual statement. Our kits are modular with two heights and three widths as standard. The necessary wall aperture dimensions for the single or double Portman pocket door kits can be derived from the calculations and elevations shown bottom right.
Portman Standard Kits - our standard P7001 kits include top fixed door brackets and poplar door linings as well as all the structural components for creating your pocket.
To choose, decide what is your constraining factor. Either the door leaf size OR the available wall aperture will decide what should be specified. Use the calculations below to derive the correct wall aperture or door leaf. For doors over 2700mm high or 1500mm wide, please contact the sales office. Self-closing/damper units and furniture as well as touch latches can be found in accessories. For doors over 2400mm high the use of the P5700 reinforcing kit is recommended. To see how easy Portman is to install, please see the Portman installation instructions.
Flush door brackets allow an almost full height leaf to be used, creating a stark visual statement by bringing the door head into closer proximity with the ceiling, so essentially only a shadow gap is left between the leaf and the track assembly. Portman supply a head profile as standard to fully conceal any light gaps, this may however be left off if desired.
For doors over 2400mm high, the use of the P5700 reinforcing kit is recommended.
N.B. Self closing or dampers and simultaneous opening (for double doors) cannot be specified with flush brackets due to the close proximity of door head to framing.
For installations where a minimal aesthetic is required or where the door opening needs to be frameless (i.e. without architrave), Portman offers a range of heavy duty steel door linings. These sections enable the skim coat to be applied and the whole frame is then painted / finished to blend in with the surrounding wall.
As standard, kits accommodate maximum 44mm thick door leaves, kits are also are supplied with flush bracket sets. For doors over 2700mm high or 1500mm wide, please contact the sales office. For doors over 2400mm high the use of the P5700 reinforcing kit is recommended
N.B Self closing and simultaneous opening (for double doors) cannot be specified with Architrave free/flush bracket sets.
Portman is unique in it’s ability to provide both single and double door systems that are certified for use with FD30/E30 door leaves. The Portman FD30 system allows for an approved* single door leaf of up to 2700mm high and 1500mm wide to be installed and any standard FD30 44mm thick door leaf up to 2150mm high and 1030mm wide. This unique assembly opens up new opportunities to create innovative designs and room layouts freedom of choice allows once again for a consistent aesthetic with other doors in the vicinity.
Bespoke profiled timber door linings come complete with intumescent fire seals and pre-cut and formed plasterboard sections to be wrapped around the sub-frame, all providing exceptional fire integrity.
*Kits for use with single door leaves over 2150mm high & 1030mm wide and kits for use with double door leaves over 2100mm high & 980mm wide must incorporate door leaves of a specific construction type to comply with the scope of certification, please see attached assessment or contact the sales office for further information.
For doors over 2400mm high the use of the P5700 reinforcing kit is recommended.
Doors for use with FD60 Portman kits are 44mm thick and of specialist manufacture and comprise a unique construction to comply with the scope of certification. FD60 approved kits are limited in size/surface area, please see below. For further guidance please contact the sales office. Portman doors can offer a wide range of finishes on an approved door blanks.
Kit options: Standard 2100mm high door leaf
Standard width (626-926mm wide)
Intermediate width (927-1103 mm wide)
Kit options: Tall 2694mm high door leaf
Standard width (626-859mm wide)
The Portman telescopic doorset effectively allows two door leaves to be concealed within one wall (on the same side) and almost a double span to be traversed.
The door leaves are linked via a toothed belt and pulley system so as the user extracts the first door leaf the second is gently brought along with it and conversely the opposite happens when the doors are concealed back within the wall. The doorset is non handed and timber framing is supplied offset, as only one leaf makes contact with the closing jamb. Due to the location of the door top components, self closing, soft close and touch latches are not suitable for use with telescopic kits. For aesthetics it is worth considering having a return on the second door leaf to conceal the gap when both doors are in the closed position. For further guidance please contact the sales office.
For doors over 2400mm high the use of the P5700 reinforcing kit is recommended.
Having a curved pocket door kit to accommodate a curved door provides the designer with a unique opportunity to create something really quite special.
The Portman curved door kits accommodate leaves with a 1.5m radius (centreline of door leaf) as standard and the door frame detailing is as per the standard kit with surface mounted hangers and a curved head section to them. We can also manufacture curved door leaves to suit and mortice in any Portman hardware to ensure that the door and pocket system function as required.
Portman kits can be used to install a frameless glass panel of between 8 and 12mm thick. These kits use specialist glass door clamps containing a safety pins and a covering aluminium profile.
Two design options are provided, the P7001 **G (standard timber lined frame kit) and the P7300 **G (steel lined architrave free - see alternative website page). At time of publication self closing and soft closing cannot be used with frameless glass panels, please contact the sales office for latest guidance.
Portman do not supply the glass door panel itself but this can be easily sourced from a reputable local glass supplier who can usually drill to receive the safety pins and suitably prepare for site installation.
Portman kits can be used to install a frameless glass panel of between 8 and 12mm thick. These kits use specialist glass door clamps containing a safety pins and a covering aluminium profile.
Two design options are provided, here the P7300 **G kits (steel lined architrave free) or the P7001 **G (standard timber lined frame kit) - please see alternative website page here. At time of publication self closing and soft closing cannot be used with frameless glass panels, please contact the sales office for latest guidance.
Portman do not supply the glass door panel itself but this can be easily sourced from a reputable local glass supplier who can usually drill to receive the safety pins and suitably prepare for site installation.